Via Email July 16, 2013
bchydroregulatorygroup@bchydro.com
Ms. Janet Fraser
Chief Regulatory Officer
British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority
16th Floor, 333 Dunsmuir Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 5R3
Dear Ms. Fraser:
Re: British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority
Customer Complaint – Planned Disconnection Notice
The Commission recently received two complaints regarding the notice that BC Hydro provides its customers for planned power outages. In the complaints, the customers indicated that they were provided very little notice or no notice at all for planned power outages resulting from maintenance work. In both cases BC Hydro indicated that the outages affected less than 15 customers for pole replacements and according to BC Hydro guidelines, “[f]or outages that affect less than 15 residential customers, the recommended guideline is to provide four to five hours of notice by knock on the door or paper flyer.”
The Commission is concerned that BC Hydro’s current planned power outage notification process may be inadequate. Accordingly, the Commission requests BC Hydro provide a report examining the current process and providing an analysis of the costs and feasibility associated with improving the current process. In the report please address the following:
• Please provide feasible options for expanding the notification process to all affected customers.
• Please discuss the feasibility of BC Hydro maintaining a registry of customers that require electricity for health issues, working from home or other essential functions, and the feasibility of using such a registry in the planned power outage notification process.
• What process(es) do other energy utilities in BC employ to provide notice to their customers for planned power outages?
BC Hydro is requested to file this report to the Commission by August 16, 2013. To discuss further, please contact Patrick Wruck at (604) 660-3632.
Yours truly,
Erica Hamilton
PW/nn